Thesis Information

Thesis Guidelines

Thesis Submission

All Northern Michigan University MA and MS theses will be submitted electronically. Beginning with the winter semester 2014, theses will be posted to The Commons. Prior to the winter 2014 semester, UMI Dissertations Publishing was the company that published NMU theses.

Many graduate schools have chosen to receive theses electronically. There are many benefits to students who use this mode of thesis submission. Paper theses represent a storage problem due to library space needed and the fragile nature of the printed page. Paper theses may be difficult to access, both within and outside of the university since they are often only kept in the library. Electronic theses provide greater exposure and availability of graduate research while eliminating the physical limitations of a printed document.

All theses written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for any degree conferred by Northern Michigan University must be filed electronically on The Commons. Northern Michigan University has the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to make all submitted theses accessible, in whole or in part in all forms of media, and keep a permanent archival record of each thesis. Each student will retain all other ownership rights to the copyright and the right to use in future works.

The following three items should be submitted 30 calendar days prior to graduation:

Two original paper copies of the completed signature approval page (signed except for Dr. Brian D. Cherry, Assistant Provost of Graduate Education and Research) must be delivered to the Office of Graduate Education and Research. The reason for the paper submission of these two pages is that since the thesis will be published, the distribution of electronic signatures on the signature approval page could compromise the personal security of the thesis director and readers. The signature page included in your on-line thesis should not be signed.

NOTE: A paper copy of your thesis does NOT get submitted to the Office of Graduate Education and Research. We only require the on-line submission.

Once the student has submitted his or her thesis, the Assistant Provost of Graduate Education and Research will receive notification of that submission. The Assistant Provost will NOT review any thesis until the signed signature approval forms have been received in the Office of Graduate Education and Research.

The Assistant Provost will review the thesis, noting any changes that must be made prior to thesis acceptance. After the student has made the necessary changes, the thesis will be approved and publicly available shortly thereafter.